Sudan's main rebel group yesterday welcomed the planned deployment of UN troops in southern Sudan once a final deal is signed to end one of Africa's longest and bloodiest wars.
"This is good news. The deployment will go a long way to support the restoration of peace in southern Sudan," Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) spokesman George Garang said in Nairobi.
Meanwhile, reports of clashes in and around a village in northern Darfur continue to disturb food delivery to thousands of the displaced, UN officials said on Sunday.
One road west of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, leading to the town of Tawilla has been declared a "no-go" zone for UN personnel following reports of "serious disturbances" and rumors of "heavy skirmishes" between the government and the rebel SPLM/A, said Barry Came, a World Food Program (WFP) staffer in Khartoum.
Came said a sense of security prevailed for a couple of days after accords were signed between the Sudanese government and the two main rebel groups on Nov. 10 in Nigeria, promising aid organizations unfettered access to Darfur's displaced cause and banning "hostile" military flights over the region.
"For a couple of days last week it looked like there was a lessening of tension," he said, adding that a camp that hosts 150,000 displaced in Jabal Mara mountains was reached by aid convoys for the first time in two weeks.
WFP trucks loaded with 235 metric tonnes of food were stuck in El Fasher for two days, before commercial trucks instead carried the food to Tawilla on Sunday, Came said.
An eight-member team of African Union Commission personnel left to Tawilla on Sunday to investigate the complaints.
Australians were downloading virtual private networks (VPNs) in droves, while one of the world’s largest porn distributors said it was blocking users from its platforms as the country yesterday rolled out sweeping online age restriction. Australia in December became the first country to impose a nationwide ban on teenagers using social media. A separate law now requires artificial intelligence (AI)-powered chatbot services to keep certain content — including pornography, extreme violence and self-harm and eating disorder material — from minors or face fines of up to A$49.5 million (US$34.6 million). The country also joined Britain, France and dozens of US states requiring
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Hungarian authorities temporarily detained seven Ukrainian citizens and seized two armored cars carrying tens of millions of euros in cash across Hungary on suspicion of money laundering, officials said on Friday. The Ukrainians were released on Friday, following their detention on Thursday, but Hungarian officials held onto the cash, prompting Ukraine to accuse Hungary’s Russia-friendly government of illegally seizing the money. “We will not tolerate this state banditism,” Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha said. The seven detained Ukrainians were employees of the Ukrainian state-owned Oschadbank, who were traveling in the two armored cars that were carrying the money between Austria and
Kosovar President Vjosa Osmani on Friday after dissolving the Kosovar parliament said a snap election should be held as soon as possible to avoid another prolonged political crisis in the Balkan country at a time of global turmoil. Osmani said it is important for Kosovo to wrap up the upcoming election process and form functional institutions for political stability as the war rages in the Middle East. “Precisely because the geopolitical situation is that complex, it is important to finish this electoral process which is coming up,” she said. “It is very hard now to imagine what will happen next.” Kosovo, which declared
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